Controversy Surrounds Reported Maryland Mega Millions Winner

Winning last week’s record-breaking $656 million Mega Millions lottery might seem like a dream come true, but it’s created a huge mess for Maryland woman Mirlande Wilson. The 37-year-old McDonald’s employee claims she bought a winning ticket independently, but fifteen of her co-workers say it was purchased as part of an employee pool and they want their share of the winnings.

On Monday, Wilson told the New York Post that the ticket was hers and that she won’t share her portion of the jackpot — $105 million — with coworkers. “I was in the group, but this was separate. The winning ticket was a separate ticket,” she insisted.

Not surprisingly, Wilson’s fellow employees were outraged. “She can’t do this to us!” said Suleiman Osman Husein, a coworker in the pool. “We each paid $5. She took everybody’s money!”

According to lottery officials, no one has redeemed a winning ticket yet and they doubt that Wilson’s claims are true. “It just doesn’t read to me like something that is going to be legit,” said lottery spokesperson Carole Everett. “I don’t expect her to show up.” Wilson, however, has promised that she will turn in the winning ticket sometime today.

What do you think? Does Wilson have the ticket? Or is this a hoax? And do you think she’s trying to bilk her coworkers out of mega millions?